2/10/2025
Late Model Racing Western Australia
THE WA LATE MODEL TITLE BY THE STATS!
This weekend will mark the 28th annual WA Late Model Title being held at the Perth Motorplex, so it is high time to delve through the rich history of this event!
Winning Drivers
Thirteen drivers have claimed the win in the WA Title. Brad Blake leads the stats with an incredible ten wins, while Warren Oldfield, Craig Vosbergen, Jamie Oldfield, Brent Vosbergen and Kye Blight each have two wins and Chase Karpenko, Ryan Halliday, Marc Giancola, Paul Stubber, Alan Nylander, Scott McPherson and Kodee Brown have all scored one.
Just two interstate drivers have claimed the win: Northern Territorian Chase Karpenko at the Motorplex in 05/06 and Scott McPherson at Northam in 07/08.
Interestingly, of the thirteen winning drivers, seven have also been National Champions!
Podium Drivers
Over the years, thirty one drivers have made their way onto the WA Championship podium.
Unsurprisingly, Blake leads the total podiums with fourteen. His ten wins have been joined by one second and three third places. Next best is Warren Oldfield with eight (two wins, four seconds, two thirds) and Ryan Halliday with six (a win, a second and four thirds).
Who is the driver on the podium most often without a win? Ben Ludlow (two seconds and two thirds) and John Cardy (a second and three thirds) share that dubious honour!
No less than seven visiting drivers (Interstate and international) have featured on the podium over the years, three from New South Wales, two from the ACT, one from the Northern Territory and one American in Doug Drown!
The Tracks
In the early years, the Title was held as a series with rounds held at many tracks. This happened on four occasions, but if we look at the stand alone events, we can see the Motorplex has hosted the Title ten times, Bunbury and Collie three times, Manjimup and Northam twice and Geraldton, Kalgoorlie and Albany once.
This weekend the Motorplex will hold the Title for a tenth time (not including series events), marking the ninth year in a row they have been the hosts!
The Drivers
Although research is still continuing with some full history of the titles missing, at this stage there has been one hundred and fourteen drivers who have contested at least one WA Title event. That number is expected to grow this season.
So who has done the most? Well, Brad Blake has an incredible record, having been at all but one of the Titles held: twenty six so far after missing the 2020/21 version. Next best is Jay Cardy with nineteen, Craig Vosbergen and Warren Oldfield with eighteen, Ryan Halliday with sixteen and Matt Goodlad with fifteen. Remember, some of these numbers may increase slightly when the research is complete!
The Numbers
As is quite clear, the winningest number in the WA Title is the #0 as driven by Brad Blake. The #0 has been on the podium fourteen times, while the next best numbers are #99 and #15 with seven appearances each, while #8 appears 5 times. The #3 is the only single digit number to have never appeared inside the top three finishers.
What may also be interesting is that two drivers have contested the Title running under six different car numbers each. Brad Ludlow has raced in Title events as A1, #2, #10, #21, #92 and #95, while Jason Oldfield has raced under #9, #11, #15J, #55, #61 and #96!
So, what will the 2024/25 version hold?
Find out this Saturday night at the Perth Motorplex!
Release by DTN Media.
Article Credit: DTN Media
Submitted By: Scott Beattie
